The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1887-04-24
AMOUR UMBRELLAS.
of Ancient ongen tut Formerly Used
Mainly by Kings and Princes.

OF Ancient Ongen tut Formerly Used
Mainly by Kings and Princes.
1t Is barely haodred years since una
brellas came into general use in Chris
ttndom, though as a protection from the
sun and lain they had been known in
Oriental countries f5r centuries. One Of
the great potentates Of Asia is called the
Lord OF the twenty.four umbrellas
The King Of Burmah. who is supreme over
many inferior authorities, sends disp tches
ITO the great eil8-bearing chief of
the Eastern couptries.'f Stanley, in his
account of bis African travels, and other
travellers also, tell of the great and sigHIf-
icant part the umbrella plays among the
African chiefs, where it is exclusively
the mark of royalty and power. La CHINA
end Japan it is common, but its use is
confined to persons of veal and dis
tincti IN 4: differing in this respect from the
fan, which is in uniyeral use. Among the
ancieE Greeks and Romans it was used
only by the women, and by them only as
protection from tie sun, and it was coz
sidered mark of great effeminacy for
woman use one. This idea continued 10
prevail 10 Europe for many centuries 10
an English dictionary published in 1908
an umbrella is defined as broad screen
or faa, commonly used by women to
shelter them from rain" 1t was fifty
years later than this befoxe man was
found daring enough to carry one in the
streets of London, and then he was hooted
at, ridieuled and nearly mehbed. But he
perseveted, and before he died he saw
many umbrellas carried.
Jonas Hanway was the man, notable
but eccentric traveller ia his day. He had
Travelled in Turkey and in parts of Asia.
aud he had learned the comfort of an
umbrella by observing their use in those
countri 8. On his return TO Sweden he
brought With him IN umbrella which he
rersistently and de6autly carried in the
streets for thirty years. The satire of the
press, the hootings Of The mob and the
danunciation or of The pulpit were turned
upon him in vain The preachers told
him he was flying iD tue face OF Prov
idence by carrying an umbrella to keep of
the rain from Heaven: lsaI he was litti5
better than an Atheist, and adiHred their
focks not to follow sucG effeminate NJ
tons But at all the oppos ton Jonas
only laughed and peiseyered, and at last
prevailed, winning renown imper shable
for himself and tomb in Westminster
Abbey
He cied in 1855, and from that time The
umbfe Ia came into general use OF all
umbrella bearing people inthe world, the
Engllshman takes the lead
In general appearance the umbrella h, =
undergone but very little change since
it was first introduced, but great improve
ments have been made in its ligbtress
and durability Fifty years ago an UNI
brella was very cumbersome machine,
| and not at all essy to handle. 1t was
like unfurling the mainsail of a man-of-
| var to open one. The frames used TO be
made OF whalebone and rattan and some
tlmfs even Of white oak.
The paragon freme invented by an
Euglishman named Fox in The year 1859
is the one now ia general use, though it
has undergone many improvements since
It's first invention. In it the ribs and
stretchers are made of grooved steel.
There are great many patents on the
umbrella at least three hundred in Eng
land, nearly as many in France and at
leaat two hundred in the United States.
The English being the great umbrella
using nation, owing to the frequent rains
there, it is but natural that the greate-t
umbrella manufactures Should be there.